Sponsors (3)
The bill channels federal funding and multi-year grants to strengthen animal shelter capacity and transparency, but it imposes new reporting and rulemaking burdens that could strain resource-limited shelters and produce rushed regulatory guidance.
Nonprofit and local government animal shelters will receive federal grants to cover feeding, veterinary care, sheltering, recreation, and staff hiring/training, expanding capacity and improving animal care.
Nonprofit and local government shelters can receive grant awards of up to three years, giving multi-year stability to plan staffing and longer-term programs.
Taxpayers and Congress gain increased transparency because the Secretary must submit annual reports to congressional agriculture committees on program operations and fund use.
Nonprofit and local government shelters will need to compile and submit detailed annual species intake/outcome and spending reports, increasing administrative burden and compliance costs.
Resource-constrained nonprofit and local government shelters may have to divert staff time from direct animal care to meet compliance and reporting requirements, reducing capacity to care for animals.
The 180-day rulemaking deadlines could pressure the agency to rush complex regulations, risking unclear or unstable guidance that may require later revisions.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes a grant program for eligible animal shelters to fund care, staffing, and operations, with reporting and rulemaking requirements.
Introduced August 22, 2025 by Veronica Escobar · Last progress August 22, 2025
Creates a federal grant program to help eligible animal shelters pay for feeding, housing, veterinary care, enrichment, and staff hiring, training, and retention. Grants can run up to three years and may be renewed if recipients file required annual reports. Recipients must begin detailed annual financial and intake/outcome reporting within 180 days after the first award, and the Department must write rules and send an annual program report to Congress within 180 days of enactment.